Subjunctive/indicative Conjugations
Will someone please triple check these sentences for me they are part of a class assignment. The first part is the instructions, followed by my reply.
Silvia/dudaar/hombres/tener/sentimientos.
Silvia duda que los hombres tengan sentimientos.
Ella/creer/todos/ser/insensibles
Ella cree que todos son insensibles.
Ella/querer/conocer/un hombre/respetar
Ella quiere conocer un hombre que respete.
Ser importance/ella/olvidarse/de/su ex-novio
Es importance que all se olivide de su novio.
-Pagare mis tarjetas de credito proximo mes antes de sea tarde.
-No quiere pedir mis padres para dinerp que paque el alquiler.
-Hay restaurants servan comida mexicana en la ciudad.
11 Answers
-No quiere pedir a mis padres dinero para pagar el alquiler.]
Hey wait, would this sentence need a reflexive?
No quiere pedir a les mis padres dinero para pagar el alquiler. ( Since I am doing something to someone')
I f you mean HE doesn't want to ask YOUR parents for money to pay for the rent, then you should say: "El no le quiere pedir dinero a MIS padres para pagar el alquiler".
But if you mean that HE doesn't want to ask HIS parents for money.....
then it is: "El no quiere pedirle dinero a SUS padres para pagar el alquiler".
If you want to just to include one parent, his mother for example, you say: "El no le quiere pedir dinero a SU madre para pagar el alquiler."---|in the case of both parents it is SUS instead.
-No quiere pedir a mis padres dinero para pagar el alquiler.]
Hey wait, would this sentence need a reflexive?
No quiere pedir a les mis padres dinero para pagar el alquiler. ( Since I am doing something to someone')
I do not think this exercise is supposed to follow a particular pattern. In fact, I think students have been able to get away with "bending" the rules a bit. But I will post the answers when I find out.
How do you think the sentence should be constructed?
I'm not really sure if the exercise is supposed to follow a pattern.
I'm not sure either, but it seems a little peculiar that the designer of the exercise would put a subjunctive verb form in every sentence but one.
The only construction change would be to use the subjunctive mood of the verb in the dependent clause.
Ella cree que todos sean insensibles.
I think the only subjunctive/indicative choices that were to be made were which to use in the main and which to use in the dependent clauses, not whether the entire sentence evokes the subjunctive or indicative mood.
Jennifer, when you get this assignment graded please PM me with the answer or provide ALL the instructions for doing this exercise, not just the prompts.
How do you think the sentence should be constructed?
I'm not really sure if the exercise is supposed to follow a pattern. 
Every sentence but one in this exercise contains a verb in the subjunctive mood. That tends to make me believe that there may be a mistake in that one sentence.
The sentence that doesn't follow the pattern is:
Ella cree que todos son/sea insensibles.
It would seem to be a declarative statement requiring the indicative mood.
However, consider it's similarity to the case presented below in an About.com article.
Creo que ya debería haberme acostumbrado a que mis clientes me MIENTAN, pero me sorprende que alguien como Aranjo lo haga."
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What the others have written is generally true, but it's possible that they are not totally relevant to the sentence you cite. In this case, the clause "que mis clientes me MIENTAN" is the object of the verb "debería haberme acostumbrado a", which does not have a particular obligation either to use or to avoid the subjunctive. In this situation, using the indicative suggests that the speaker is referring to specific and definite instances of specific clients lying, while using the subjunctive suggests that the speaker is making a general statement rather than referring to specific and definite instances. This phenomenon of choosing either the indicative or the subjunctive based on generality or specificity is fairly common. A simpler example to understand is the sentence pair:
- Busco a un hombre que habla español.
- Busco (a) un hombre que hable español.
Sentence 1 typically means: "I am looking for a man (a specific man, I already know who it is) who speaks Spanish."
Sentence 2 typically means: "I am looking for a man (any man, and I don't know if one exists) who speaks Spanish."
I think the argument about making a general rather than specific statement might apply to our sentence and the subjunctive mood could be used as well as the indicative. What do you think'
-Pagaré mis tarjetas de crédito el próximo mes antes de que sean tarde.
Is the subject of sea(n) mis tarjetas de crédito or I?
...before they are late.
..before I am late.
before IT is late, meaning before it is too late.
"Pagaré mis tarjetas de crédito antes de que se retrasen". It's probably a better sentence. But in this case the SE is in reference to the credit cards, so it's different. The SE or SEA in the original sentence refers to time..."Pagaré mis tarjetas antes de que SE haga tarde". Is a related example.
oh Gracias!
YOu have completely saved my day. It is good to know that I am on the right track. I just keep forgetting the que.
Your first answer I made it into a question for some odd reason, but the way you have it is correct.
Silvia duda que los hombres tengan sentimientos.
It's an affirmation.
oh Gracias!
YOu have completely saved my day. It is good to know that I am on the right track. I just keep forgetting the que.
-Pagaré mis tarjetas de crédito el próximo mes antes de que sean tarde.
Is the subject of sea(n) mis tarjetas de crédito or I?
...before they are late.
..before I am late.
Silvia / dudar / hombres/ tener / sentimientos.
¿Silvia, dudas que los hombres tengan sentimientos?
Ella/creer/todos/ser/insensibles
Ella cree que todos son insensibles.
Ella/querer/conocer/un hombre/respetar
Ella quiere conocer un hombre que respete.
Ser importante/ella/olvidarse/de/su ex-novio
Es importante que ella se olvide de su ex-novio.
-Pagaré mis tarjetas de crédito el próximo mes antes de que sea tarde.
-No quiere pedir a mis padres dinero para pagar el alquiler.
¿Hay restaurantes que sirvan comida mexicana en la ciudad'
